Aera v0.1.0: the first alpha

The first alpha build of Aera Browser is here.

This release is an early testing build for Windows. The agentic sidebar runs bring-your-own-key via OpenRouter; MCP usage is entirely free and requires no key.

What it can do

Aera can autonomously surf the web, perform actions, conduct in-depth research, create job listings, investigate social media account performance, break down personal finances, send emails, add events to your calendar, create charts, and more. Sidebar and MCP functionality are virtually identical — anything the sidebar can do, your own programs can do through MCP. The MCP logs tab lets you follow along with the agent's tool calls to model your own automations.

Aera also works as a fully standalone browser. Local sessions persist, so once you log into a site, the agent can use that context to act on your behalf.

MCP setup

Enable the MCP server from the server icon on any new tab, then point any MCP-compatible tool at it:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aera-browser": {
      "url": "http://localhost:3001/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Useful shortcuts

• Ctrl + M — toggle sidebar
• Ctrl + K — search / URL bar
• Ctrl + N — new tab
• Ctrl + Shift + T — MCP logs
• Ctrl + Shift + I — dev tools

Known limitations

Complex web apps and some PWAs (e.g. composing social media posts) are weak spots in this build, some banking sites block non-mainstream browsers, and continuing very old chats can occasionally error the agent. Keys, chats, and browsing history are stored entirely locally and never touch Aera's servers.